SCOTUS Denies Gender Affirmative Care: Colorado Rallies in Capital

Water was passed out and space shared in the shade of a tree-lined Capitol Hill street as hundreds of people paused their peaceful protest through Colorado’s capital to listen to messages from community members and those impacted recently by the violence against trans Americans.

The flashing blue and red lights and clanking of militarized uniforms from the police were notably absent. Different from the mass mobilizations and parades held this past weekend on these same streets, the autonomous action was patrolled by community members, negotiating patiently with motorists to wait their turn as important words were shared in an occupied space.

Organized by Bread & Roses Legal Center and ACLU of Colorado in response to the recent SCOTUS U.S. v. Skrmetti ruling upholding Tennessee’s rejection of medical science and well-documented evidence that gender-affirming care saves lives, the Proud & Free: United for Trans Power rally and march brought together Coloradans from across the state.

Unity and belonging, even during the most trying times, was the theme of the day. As marchers caught their breath, the call was made to surpass the superficial societal divides – look beyond rural or urban, red or blue – and to remember that genderqueer people exist everywhere. They see the rhetoric and deserve to feel safe and supported wherever they are.

Event organizers Z Williams and Maya Blasingame play a verbal game of call and response as they lead an autonomous protest of hundreds through the streets of Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood during the Proud & Free: United for Trans Power rally and march. Photo by Vince Chandler / Yellowscene

Z Williams, an attorney and community health advocate, read an emotional statement from Cherilynne Gratton-Camis, the mother of Jax Gratton, a Denver trans woman who was found dead this month in Lakewood after an extended missing persons search.

“My heart is broken,” Cherilynne wrote in her statement, “but I know this: My child deserved to be seen, respected, and protected. All of our children do. Please, educate yourself. Listen, love, and help build a world where every child can grow up safe and supported.”

Addressing the reality that the highest court in the United States has said it is acceptable to reject medical science on the grounds of personal animosity toward a marginalized group, seeing the difficult and deadly moment in history the queer community is facing, without despairing was the tightrope speakers, organizers, and attendees were navigating together in the sun that Saturday.

Hours earlier, the crowd growing on the Capitol’s west steps as speakers delivered their messages of community and hope, constant reminders were offered that even on the darkest day, progress has been made and there’s a swell of support which still exists.

“That’s why trans lives are under attack,” said Julian Camera, Lead Organizer for the ACLU of Colorado in his speech. “We see the injustices in our communities and we’re fighting, and we show up not just for our community but for all people.”

Medical professionals and caregivers shared stories of denied care, of people suffering first-hand because of the decisions made by policies meant to control bodily autonomy. Miss Trans Florida 2025 Freya Misdemeanor shared her personal experience with watching overreaching and controlling policy creep across state lines.

Colorado State Representative Brianna Titone, who represents HD-27 and is Colorado’s first openly transgender state legislator, took to the microphone to address the hyperbole in the general zeitgeist about trans youth and healthcare risks. Too often, she asserted, extremely rare – at times invented – stories are elevated disproportionately above the menial, at times boring, reality that more often gender affirming care can save an individual life without anyone noticing.

Colorado State Representative
Brianna Titone – who is running to be State Treasurer – speaks on the steps of the Colorado Capitol during the Proud & Free: United for Trans Power rally and march brought together Coloradans from across the state. . She speaks on the reality of hyperbole in the general zeitgeist about trans youth and healthcare risks. She quotes Justice Sotomayor in her recent dissent. Photo by Vince Chandler / Yellowscene

The real risks, she said, is to deny medical science and to withhold care through government control. Harnessing the community and continuing the movement of radical self love, supporting peer-reviewed medical science, and by building with open hearts and arms, speaker after speaker painted the picture of success despite difficult.

“I want you to love what you see in the mirror every day,” co-host and emcee Maya Blasingame told the crowd on those Capitol steps as folks began limbering up for the march. “As the Black, indigenous, queer, trans goddess I am, do I love what I see in the mirror every day? Yes I do. The question is what can we do to get you there.”

With applause and enthusiasm, they streamed off the steps and in to the Summer sun. The familiar soft colors of trans pride moving through the sky as flags shimmering in the wind, bobbing on painted signs, and the pattern echoing across clothing and makeup.

Colorado’s Parasol Patrol moved with the group, coordinating closures at intersections and helping marshalls calmly navigate the loud and proud crowd through the business and residential streets surrounding the seat of the state’s power.

Chants were led demanding equitable access to hormone care, calls made for people to drop what they were doing and join. Denverites honked horns, hung from windows, cheered from bar patios and some did – indeed – step off of the sidewalk and into the streets.

After resting and reflecting in the shade on Logan Street, the march continued with voices raising in remembrance of Jax Gratton and community members who led in the movement for queer equality, but who are now gone too soon.

Seeing the size continue to grow, some people grabbing signs still stashed from last week’s No Kings from their back seats, served as a reminder that so long as a voice remains steady the chorus can continue. Ralliers stepped toward the Capitol once more, a bride pulled her groom and photographer in to the fray – making photos which will last a lifetime on the mantel and in marchers’ memories.

“Trans youth are not a threat, they are a gift,” said Emily Stout, founder of the Parenting the Rainbow. In the shade of the trees on the hills of the Capitol, the tone returned to next steps. “They deserve more than survival. They deserve safety, celebration, and freedom.

An activist marches in the Proud & Free: United for Trans Power rally and march brought together Coloradans from across the state to support sensible medical-based policy around gender-affirming care.

Organizers thanked the crowd for remaining loud and high-spirited despite the heat. The reminder was given that all struggle was interconnected and calls were made to continue conversations today with intention of protecting immigrants, stopping genocide, and in solidarity with marginalized groups from Gaza to Tennessee.

“The action was a first step in what needs to be an ongoing grassroots led trans liberation movement,” Z Williams told Yellowscene, reflecting on the event. “We have to demand more than the opposite of the Trump Agenda. We have to fight for trans futures.”